BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:researchseminars.org CALSCALE:GREGORIAN X-WR-CALNAME:researchseminars.org BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Sandra Di Rocco (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) DTSTART:20201029T163000Z DTEND:20201029T173000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T142040Z UID:VCUcolloq/1 DESCRIPTION:Title: Geometry of Data\nby Sandra Di Rocco (KTH Royal Institute of Technol ogy) as part of VCU Mathematics and Applied Mathematics Colloquium Series\ n\n\nAbstract\nCollecting and more importantly analysing (big) sets of dat a is one of the greatest challenges of our society. One possible tool is g eometrical data analysis\, i.e.\, appropriately embed the data points on a geometrical object\, for example using polynomials. Many problems in scie nce can be described by polynomial equations. The solution set of the corr esponding polynomial system is referred to as an algebraic geometrical mod el for the problem. We will see how geometrical modeling is used in fields like Kinematics and Biochemistry. Sampling\, i.e.\, appropriately choosin g data points on the model\, is a powerful technique in the study of geome trical models. The key challenge is to estimate the right density of the data points in order to recover the shape of the model. An exciting and s urprising aspect of the story is that classical geometrical tools (from ea rly 1900) have shown to be effective and essential for data analysis.\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/VCUcolloq/1/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Ken Ono (University of Virginia) DTSTART:20210408T220000Z DTEND:20210408T230000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T142040Z UID:VCUcolloq/2 DESCRIPTION:Title: Why Does Ramanujan\, “The Man Who Knew Infinity\,” Matter?\nby K en Ono (University of Virginia) as part of VCU Mathematics and Applied Mat hematics Colloquium Series\n\n\nAbstract\nSrinivasa Ramanujan\, one of the most inspirational figures in the history of mathematics\, was an amateur gifted mathematician from lush south India who left behind three notebook s that engineers\, mathematicians\, and physicists continue to mine today. Born in 1887\, Ramanujan was a two-time college dropout. He could have ea sily been lost to the world\, a thought that scientists cannot begin to ab sorb. He died in 1920. Prof. Ono will explain why Ramanujan matters today and will share several clips from the film\, “The Man Who Knew Infinity\ ,” starring Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons. Professor Ono served as an assoc iate producer and mathematical consultant for the film.\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/VCUcolloq/2/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Carolina Araujo (IMPA) DTSTART:20210924T200000Z DTEND:20210924T210000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T142040Z UID:VCUcolloq/3 DESCRIPTION:Title: Symmetries in Algebraic Geometry\nby Carolina Araujo (IMPA) as part of VCU Mathematics and Applied Mathematics Colloquium Series\n\n\nAbstract \nIn this talk I will discuss different notions of symmetry of algebraic v arieties. First we examine automorphisms. The structure of the group of au tomorphisms of a projective variety encodes some relevant geometric proper ties. However\, the notion of automorphism is too rigid in the scope of bi rational geometry. We are then led to consider another class of symmetries of projective varieties\, its birational self-maps. Birational self-maps of the projective space $\\mathbb{P}^n$ are called Cremona transformations . Describing the structure of the group of Cremona transformations of the plane is a classical problem that goes back to the 19th century. In higher dimensions\, not so much is known\, and a natural problem is to construct interesting subgroups of the Cremona group. I will end the talk by discus sing a recent work with Alessio Corti and Alex Massarenti\, where we inves tigate subgroups of the Cremona group consisting of symmetries preserving special geometric structures.\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/VCUcolloq/3/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Gregory Smith (Queen's University) DTSTART:20210416T200000Z DTEND:20210416T210000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T142040Z UID:VCUcolloq/4 DESCRIPTION:Title: Sums of Squares: a real projective story\nby Gregory Smith (Queen's University) as part of VCU Mathematics and Applied Mathematics Colloquium Series\n\n\nAbstract\nA multivariate real polynomial is nonnegative if its value at any real point is greater than or equal to zero. These special polynomials play a central role in many branches of mathematics including algebraic geometry\, optimization theory\, and dynamical systems. However \, deciding whether a given polynomial is nonnegative is a hard problem. In this talk\, we will review some general methods for certifying that a p olynomial is nonnegative. We will then present optimal certificates in so me important cases. This talk is based on joint work with Grigoriy Blekher man\, Rainer Sinn\, and Mauricio Velasco.\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/VCUcolloq/4/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Swatee Naik and Christopher Stark (NSF) DTSTART:20221118T190000Z DTEND:20221118T203000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T142040Z UID:VCUcolloq/5 DESCRIPTION:Title: An Introduction to Topology & Geometry\, Applications\, and NSF Funding Opportunities for Students\nby Swatee Naik and Christopher Stark (NSF) as part of VCU Mathematics and Applied Mathematics Colloquium Series\n\n\ nAbstract\nResearch level mathematics comes in many different flavors. Top ology is a branch of mathematics concerned with a study of flexible shapes . Topological methods are not only useful in mathematics\, but they have f ascinated scientists since the 1800s. The 2016 Nobel prize in Physics was awarded to three physicists who used topological notions to study phases o f matter such as superconductivity and suprafluidity. \n \nIn this talk\, we will introduce some basic concepts from geometry and topology through diagrams and informal explanations\, and mention some applications. The ta lk should be accessible to undergraduate students who have studied Calculu s. \n \nIn the second half of this talk\, we will present an overview of N SF opportunities for students.\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/VCUcolloq/5/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Radmila Sazdanovic (North Carolina State University) DTSTART:20221202T200000Z DTEND:20221202T210000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T142040Z UID:VCUcolloq/6 DESCRIPTION:Title: The shape of relations: knots and other stories\nby Radmila Sazdanov ic (North Carolina State University) as part of VCU Mathematics and Applie d Mathematics Colloquium Series\n\n\nAbstract\nTopological Data Analysis p rovides tools for discovering relevant features of data by analyzing the s hape of a point cloud. In this context we develop tools for visualizing ma ps between high dimensional spaces with the goal of discovering relations between data sets with expected correlations. The main focus of this talk is knots and their invariants\, but we will touch on other examples includ ing applications to cancer genomics\, game theory and materials science.\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/VCUcolloq/6/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Kristen Hendricks (Rutgers University) DTSTART:20230421T190000Z DTEND:20230421T200000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T142040Z UID:VCUcolloq/7 DESCRIPTION:Title: Classical and Modern Invariants of Knots\nby Kristen Hendricks (Rutg ers University) as part of VCU Mathematics and Applied Mathematics Colloqu ium Series\n\n\nAbstract\nWe'll give a brief introduction to what knot the ory is and why you might be interested in it\, and talk about some classic al invariants of knots and what kind of geometric information they detect. We'll then introduce a modern invariant called Heegaard Floer knot homolo gy from the early 2000s\, and talk about its properties and its relationsh ip to classical invariants.\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/VCUcolloq/7/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Lara Anderson (Virginia Tech) DTSTART:20230407T190000Z DTEND:20230407T200000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T142040Z UID:VCUcolloq/8 DESCRIPTION:by Lara Anderson (Virginia Tech) as part of VCU Mathematics an d Applied Mathematics Colloquium Series\n\nAbstract: TBA\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/VCUcolloq/8/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Lara Anderson (Virginia Tech) DTSTART:20230428T190000Z DTEND:20230428T200000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T142040Z UID:VCUcolloq/9 DESCRIPTION:Title: The Geometry of String Compactifications\nby Lara Anderson (Virginia Tech) as part of VCU Mathematics and Applied Mathematics Colloquium Serie s\n\n\nAbstract\nI will outline the rich interplay between geometry and ph ysics in string compactifications. In particular\, I will highlight connec tions between efforts to classify gauge and gravitational theories in dive rse dimensions with progress in the Minimal Model Program and bounding/cha racterizing manifolds of SU(3) structure and Mumford stable holomorphic bu ndles over them. A key tool in this progress is the notion of topology-cha nging geometric transitions which arise naturally in string theory.\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/VCUcolloq/9/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Sara Del Valle (Los Alamos National Laboratory) DTSTART:20231110T200000Z DTEND:20231110T210000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T142040Z UID:VCUcolloq/10 DESCRIPTION:Title: Real-time Data Fusion for Disease Forecasting Models\nby Sara Del V alle (Los Alamos National Laboratory) as part of VCU Mathematics and Appli ed Mathematics Colloquium Series\n\nLecture held in Academic Learning Comm ons 1102.\n\nAbstract\nThe COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for non- traditional data analysis techniques and data sources to understand the em ergence of a deadly\, novel virus. In this talk\, I will discuss how our t eam is using mathematical\, statistical\, and computational models as well as heterogeneous data streams (e.g.\, social media\, weather\, mobility i nformation\, and satellite imagery) to model and forecast the spread of in fectious diseases including influenza\, COVID-19\, and dengue. In addition \, I will demonstrate the role that mathematics and data science has playe d in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges that remain to mod el current and future pandemics.\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/VCUcolloq/10/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Denise Kirschner (University of Michigan Medical School) DTSTART:20240126T200000Z DTEND:20240126T210000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T142040Z UID:VCUcolloq/11 DESCRIPTION:Title: Multi-scale modeling can predict factors driving the immune response an d treatment in Tuberculosis\nby Denise Kirschner (University of Michig an Medical School) as part of VCU Mathematics and Applied Mathematics Coll oquium Series\n\n\nAbstract\nTuberculosis (TB)\, caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)\, is one of the world’s deadliest infec tious diseases and remains a significant global health burden even in the face of COVID. TB disease and pathology presents clinically across a spec trum of outcomes\, ranging from total sterilization of infection to active disease. Much remains unknown about the immunobiology that drives an ind ividual towards various clinical outcomes as it is challenging to experime ntally address specific mechanisms driving outcomes. Furthermore\, it is u nknown whether numbers of immune cells in the blood accurately reflect ong oing events during infection within human lungs. We have utilized a myria d of multi-scale approaches and analyses to study the host immune response to Mtb across multiple physiologic and time scales. The models we develo ped range from molecular scale to whole-host scale and we used a hybrid ap proach combining differential equations and agent-based modeling at multip le scales. We use extensive analyses to predict mechanisms in the system d riving different outcomes via parameters. Additionally\, a key goal is to improve antibiotic treatment for TB. Currently multiple drugs are used sim ultaneously over a 6-9 month period which is a burden on the patient and m edical system. We use our models to predict regimens that can improve cli nical treatment of TB.\n\nSee the event webpage at: https://math.vcu.edu/e vents/event-items/math-colloquium-multi-scale-modeling-can-predict-factors -driving-the-immune-response-and-treatment-in-tuberculosis.html\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/VCUcolloq/11/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Emily Riehl (Johns Hopkins University) DTSTART:20240315T190000Z DTEND:20240315T200000Z DTSTAMP:20260422T142040Z UID:VCUcolloq/12 DESCRIPTION:Title: Path induction and the indiscernibility of identicals\nby Emily Rie hl (Johns Hopkins University) as part of VCU Mathematics and Applied Mathe matics Colloquium Series\n\n\nAbstract\nMathematics students learn a power ful technique for proving theorems about an arbitrary natural number: the principle of mathematical induction. This talk introduces a closely relate d proof technique called "path induction\," which can be thought of as an expression of Leibniz's "indiscernibility of identicals": if x and y are i dentified\, then they must have the same properties\, and conversely. What makes this interesting is that the notion of identification referenced he re is given by Per Martin-Löf's intensional identity types\, which encode a more flexible notion of sameness than traditional equality because an i dentification can carry data\, for instance of an explicit isomorphism or equivalence. The nickname "path induction" for the elimination rule for id entity types derives from a new homotopical interpretation of type theory\ , in which the terms of a type define the points of a space and identifica tions correspond to paths. In this homotopical context\, indiscernibility of identicals is a consequence of the path lifting property of fibrations. Path induction is then justified by the fact that based path spaces are c ontractible.\n LOCATION:https://researchseminars.org/talk/VCUcolloq/12/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR